By Mitoné L. Cooke

I love it when I find a product that can be put to multiple purpose use! If you have a business and you’re trying to get the most out of your advertising dollar, full color business cards can wear many different hats in your advertising plans! Here are 7 different uses for full color business cards. But why full color over flat or raised letter business cards? 14 pt, UV coated full color business cards will stand up longer in your customer’s pockets, wallets, and purses, that’s why!

1. Punch Cards–your customers buy 5 of your product and they get one free. Grab a unique little hole-puncher, and a full color business card becomes a sturdy, durable punch car–even with a few holes! Put a photograph of the product they are buying on the front; add the regulations and blocks or images for punching in black and white on the back.

2. Free Gift/Award Card–perhaps you donate certain items or services to churches, schools and other non-profit organizations. Add the photo of your business or service you donate on the front, the regulations on the back. Collect the cards as they come in and re-use for future gifting. They will hold up through several passes through the gift cycle!

3. Membership Card–if you rent videos or have some other business that requires you to issue membership cards, a full color business card is ideal. Design the front with a photo of choice, the details in black on the back with a space for your customer’s signature. Laminate or stuff into one of those clear plastic sleeves! Durable, unforgettable and noticeable!

4. Mini Sales Flyers for Statement Stuffer–do you regularly try to sell to the customers you send statements to? You should! Save some money on print costs by getting affordable, colorful business cards. Add the photo of your sale product or service on the front, and details of the sale with contact info on the back. Stuff them into statements and invoices and watch the extra sales roll in. Small enough for your customer to hold onto until their ready to make a purchase!

5. Appointment Card–yes, this is an old standby for the back of business card–but how about using a full color card for just appointment cards. People are always forgetting their appointments? But how could they forget a dental appointment if there was a card on their fridge that had a big toothy grin on it? Again, add a catchy photo on the front, and lines for details of the appointment on the back.

6. ID Card–perhaps you have a business where your customers have to have photo identification? (An example would be a go-cart fun center where the drivers had to be of age.) Have a card made with an image of your business or, in the case of the fun center, a go-cart. Leave a space for you to affix a photo. Leave room for signatures and date of birth on the back. Laminate and voilà, you have a cool id card for your customer.

7. Gift Certificate–tired of the same ol’ boring gift certificates? Get full color business cards with a photo or your business or products. Add blanks for numbering, dollar amounts, to’s and from’s on the back, and you’ve got cool little gift certificates customers can buy for friends and family. The cards more conveniently fit in purses and wallets!

8. Business Card–last but not least, let’s not forget how effective full color business cards can be functioning as a business card! Full color is shown to increase response rate by 20-40%. And when your customers dip into their rolodex, whose card do you want to jump out at them?

Nowadays, you can get full color business cards for as little as 4 cents each! Compare this cost to the costs of printing plastic cards, buying pre-made membership cards or investing in large statement stuffers. The bottom line in getting these things you need to run your business is getting a product that will do its job, hold up under your customer’s usage, AND get attention at the same time. Full color “business cards” do the trick!

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